Burning
by ButterflyMiko
Summary: Yuki finds a mysterious upset girl with fire powers and no memory named Rayne.
1. Chapter 1

"No, no, no!" the girl repeated, pacing around the park bench that Yuki was sitting on. "I…can't remember…"

She trailed off, sitting beside him and cradling her head in her hands.

"…Do you need some help?" Yuki asked her gently.

"I…don't know," was her only response.

"Do you have a home? What's your name?"

"Rose…I'm Rose," she said softly. "No one wanted me…and then, the fire…the babies downstairs…" A tear slipped down her cheek, making a streak in her dirty face. "I couldn't leave them…not alone, like me."

"So…you have no one?" Yuki wanted to comfort her, but he couldn't see how. "Come with me, and live at our house."

She looked at him blankly. "But…who are you?"

"I'm Yuki Sohma," he replied, taking her hand and helping her off the park bench.

"Are you…sure? You don't even know me." Her blue eyes stood out against her mud-stained face and black hair. If he looked closely, Yuki could see some ash remaining on her cheeks that hadn't been washed away by her tears. She also had many semi-healed burn marks. She wore an old school uniform with no label that was apparently burnt, ripped, and patched in several places.

"It's fine," he replied, smiling at her disheveled appearance. "But I must warn you-my cousin's are crazy."

Rose laughed, following as Yuki led her into the woods. "You say it so calmly."

Yuki nodded. "It's true."

They were quiet for a moment, then Yuki spoke up. "This may seem to be a weird question, but do you do any housekeeping?"

Her face was puzzled. "I…remember cleaning and cooking for pay at some point, yes."

"Good," Yuki replied, with no further explanation.

"Did you say you were from the Sohma family?"

Yuki was surprised. "Yes."

Her brow furrowed. "I seem to remember something…oh, I can't remember. It's like trying to catch a bubble. Just when you think you think you've got it, it pops."

Yuki laughed, and Rose got the impression that he didn't laugh often.

Rose paused suddenly. "Yuki. Do you hear that?"

Yuki stopped, listening. There was a rustle in the bushes. Before he could react, however, Kyo jumped from the bushes. He landed a punch to Yuki's chin, nearly knocking him out.

Rose's eyes narrowed, and an odd change came over her. She kicked Kyo in the stomach, causing him to fall backward into a tree before he could make another move toward Yuki.

"What the heck is your problem?" she yelled. "Surprise attacks are for wimps! Be a man!"

Kyo ignored her, getting up and rushing at Yuki, who easily sent him flying.

"So," Kyo said angrily, wiping blood from his lip. "You have girls fighting your battles now?"

"Shut up, you idiot," replied Yuki coldly, grabbing Rose's arm and leading her away toward the house.


	2. Chapter 2

Rose stood behind the house. She splayed out her fingers. A flame appeared in her hand. She juggled it, then threw it up, and caught it in the air.

Shigure stepped outside, and the flame went out.

"Yes," said Rose. "I thought I sensed another person."

To tell the truth, she had sensed the heat his body gave off.

He looked at her quizzically. "I smell smoke. Do you smoke, Rose?"

"Ha ha…" Rose attempted a laugh. "No. But you do. I smell the nicotine."

Kyo stepped outside. "What are you still doing here?"

Yuki smacked him upside the head. "Leave her alone, stupid cat."

Rose examined Kyo. When she spoke, her voice was full of venom. "You're full of it. What reason do you have to be mean to someone you just met? You only act this way because you're insecure."

Kyo fell back a step, eyes wide. He turned and walked off into the woods.

"What did you do to Kyo?" asked Tohru, coming outside.

"I simply told the truth," Rose said, shrugging.

"I'd better go get him," Tohru said.

"No, no," Rose said, sighing. "I lost my temper. I owe him an apology."

Rose walked off, following Kyo's unique heat signature. She soon found him sitting under a tree.

"Kyo," Rose said.

"What the heck do you want?" he asked. "Come back to insult me some more?"

"No," Rose said softly, sitting next to him. "I'm sorry if I hurt your feelings."

"Y-You didn't hurt my feelings!" he yelled instantly.

"Could've fooled me," muttered Rose. Then she smiled. "So…I think we're going to be great friends, Kyo. Right?"

"Huh?" Kyo said. "But you—"

"Why are you uncomfortable?" Rose asked. "Your body temperature just rose three degrees!"

"How do you know that?" Kyo asked.

"Obviously," Rose said nervously. "You're blushing."

"Huh? No I'm not!" Kyo exclaimed.

"Oh just come on!" Rose changed the subject, standing, and grabbing Kyo's hand and pulling him up. "Would it be so bad to be my friend?"

"Fine," Kyo said. "If you're going to say it like that."

They took a step, and Rose released his hand, but stumbled and fell forward. He caught her, and all of a sudden there was a small puff of smoke and Rose fell to the ground. On her head was an orange cat, and around her were Kyo's clothes.

He turned into a cat.


	3. Chapter 3

Why are you a cat?" Rose asked.

"Why'd you have to fall?" retorted the cat.

"I tripped," Rose replied simply. "You know that."

She brightened, and picked him up and spun around. "I'm so happy!"

"Let me go! Put me down!" yelled Kyo.

Rose calmed down, but was still smiling when she gently set Kyo down on the grass.

"Why are you so happy?" Kyo asked.

"Because now I'm not alone," Rose said, and with that, a flame shot out of her hand and hit a nearby tree, incinerating it instantly.

"So when we smelled smoke earlier…" Kyo began.

"I was playing with fire," Rose replied, grinning. "It's not so bad now, though. So why are you a cat?"

"The Chinese Zodiac," Kyo replied. "The Sohma family is cursed."

"So you turn into animals of the zodiac," Rose said. "But the Cat isn't…oh, I see."

"What? You see what?" he exclaimed.

"Why are you mad?" Rose asked, surprised. "Do you not like being the Cat?"

"No," he said sharply. "It sucks."

"But Kyo…" Rose trailed off. It can't be half as bad as me…

Suddenly there was a puff of smoke and he changed back. But he was, of course, naked. Rose jumped, and flushed red as she turned around.

Kyo dressed quickly, and stood up. "Well are you going to get up or what?"

Rose stood, lost her balance, and fell again.

She doesn't seem like the clumsy type, thought Kyo. "Is something wrong?"

Rose said nothing, just put her hand to her ankle. Her hand came back blood stained.

"Rose…" Kyo was near-panicking now. Since he was cursed, he couldn't carry her or even support her back home. Why were they out here in the first place? Oh yeah, he had run out here. He quickly grabbed her arm and pulled her upright. "Come on. We have to get home."

"Kyo, I'm bleeding pretty bad, aren't I?" Rose said.

Kyo looked down. There was a deep gash on her leg. "Don't worry about it. We're going home."

He pulled her to Shigure's house as fast as he could, but she collapsed at the door and could go no further.

Kyo went and got Tohru to help him carry her, since the Sohmas couldn't.


	4. Chapter 4

Kyo paced around the living room. This was all his fault. He had brought her out into the woods, now she was hurt…wasn't there a vein in your leg that was really important? What if she died?

Kyo shook his head. He was thinking crazy. No one died from a gash in their leg.

Hatori came out of the guest room with his bag. "You can go in there now."

Kyo said nothing, but opened the door and walked in.

Rose was sitting on the floor, her leg stuck out in front of her. She didn't move it. It was wrapped tightly in gauze.

"Are you okay, Rose?" Kyo asked.

Rose laughed a little. "This is nothing. You should see what third-degree burns do to the human body."

There was no light in her eyes. She looked sad.

"What's wrong?" Kyo asked her.

"Nothing…I just screw up everything," she said. "And now, when things are looking up, I got hurt, and I feel bad…I upset you."

Kyo flushed. "Y-You didn't upset me!"

Rose raised an eyebrow. "Your body temperature just rose two degrees."

"Stop doing that!" he yelled.

"It's fun," Rose smiled. "And…you're not upset anymore."

"What? I never was to begin with!"

"Kyo," Rose said. "Thank you. People don't normally care what happens to me."

Kyo turned to go, but he stopped in the doorway, turned around and said, "No problem."


	5. Chapter 5

A black haired girl covered in ash walked toward Shigure Sohma's house. She was holding an electronic device. Yuki stood at the door.

"Who are you?" he asked her.

"My name is Lily Himura," the girl said. "I'm looking for my sister. The GPS on her cell phone leads here."

"Is your sister's name Rose?" Yuki asked.

"Yes, my sister is Rose Himura," Lily replied. "Our house burned down a week ago and I lost her! Please help me find her! She hit her head, and she wandered off before the medics got there, and I don't know what I'll do without her…"

Lily's shoulders shook with sobs.

Yuki put a hand on Lily's shoulder. "It'll be alright, Miss Himura. I'll get you to your sister. She's inside."

Yuki led Lily to the guest room. Rose was lying asleep on the bed, her injured leg sticking out awkwardly.

"Rose!" exclaimed Lily.

Rose started, her eyes opening. "L-Lil?"

Lily embraced her sister. "What happened to your leg?"

"I don't really remember," Rose replied. "It must've happened after the fire…"

Lily touched the bandage. "Who bandaged this? They did a good job!"

"This family…the Sohmas, they took me in," replied Rose. "Hatori Sohma, the family doctor, took care of my cut."

"Speaking of taking you in…" Lily said. "We have no home. The fire destroyed everything we have. I was hoping you had found a job…I guess you haven't. And we can't stay here."

"Why not?" Rose asked, thinking of Kyo.

"The Sohmas aren't going to take both of us in," Lily said.

Rose smiled. "Yuki, you can come in."

She had sensed his heat signature at the door.

"He's been listening," Rose said.

Yuki came in, a bit embarrassed. "Just so you know, Rose, Shigure already went to see Akito about keeping the two of you here. Seeing as Kyo already told you…"

"Am I allowed to tell my sister?" Rose asked.

"I don't see how it would matter," Yuki said quietly. "If your memories are going to be wiped, they might as well be wiped together."

"Yuki, does that mean I'll forget Kyo?" Rose asked.

"Probably," said Yuki. "You'll forget all of us, and then you'll be sent away."


	6. Chapter 6

Rose woke sweating. There were burn marks on the sheets in the shape of handprints. "Hah…" she breathed out. She pulled the sheets up, making the bed.

"Rose?" Lily said. "It smells horrible in here. Like…smoke. Why does it always smell like that around you?"

"I don't smoke, Lil," Rose said. "I promise."

The air felt very cold. Hostile. There were no heat signatures in the house except them. But there was one other.

Rose slid out of bed. "Lil. Wait here. I don't like this."

"I'm coming with you," Lil said.

"No! Stay here, I'll be right back," Rose said, and walked out into the living room.

She was caught by the throat and rammed against a wall. A man in a kimono was staring at her. "This is my family! You stupid woman. This isn't your game. You know the secret. I should kill you!"

The man pulled out a knife. "But I'll only maim you. Teach Kyo a lesson. Then I'll leave you somewhere for him to find."

"What did I do to you?" Rose said softly, voice muted by the pressure on her throat.

"You are involved with my family, so you must be punished," said the man.

"Who are you?" Rose asked.

"My name is Akito," the man said, and stabbed her in the side.

Rose fell to her knees, pulling the knife from her side and letting blood pour out. "Aaaaaa!" she yelled, but Akito slapped a hand over her mouth.

"Don't scream," he said, and grabbed her by the arms, dragging her to a car. He put her in the backseat. "And don't move either, you might bleed to death."

Soon they arrived. Rose looked out the window, craning her neck. A karate dojo?

Akito came out and dragged her by the arms into the dojo. It was empty.

"They're all out to dinner," Akito said maliciously. "Don't worry. I'm sure they'll be back soon."

"Won't I get bloodstains on the floor?" Rose said tersely.

"That's Kazuma's problem," Akito said.

"You're sick," Rose said weakly.

Akito took the knife and made three lines on Rose's face, and three on each arm. "I don't think you're in any position to be making sharp comments."

And Akito turned in a sweeping motion and left Rose bleeding to death in the dojo.


	7. Chapter 7

Kyo came to the dojo at his usual time. It was empty, because Shishou had taken the students to dinner, and they weren't back yet.

He sighed, and took off his shoes, and then turned the light on.

There was Rose, bleeding on the floor. Kyo couldn't breathe.

He ran to the back room, grabbing a phone. He dialed Hatori.

"Kyo? I was expecting your call," Hatori said.

"You mean you know about Rose?" Kyo said angrily.

"Don't blame me for this," Hatori said. "I'll be over soon."

Kyo hung up the phone.

He ran to Rose's side, with some water and stuff to wrap the wound.

Rose's eyes opened. "Ow…I should've stayed asleep…"

"Can you raise your arms?" Kyo asked.

She did so, and he removed her shirt.

He lifted her up a little so he could wrap the gauze around her abdomen. He tied it off, but it was bleeding persistently through the cloth.

"You'll need stitches," Kyo said. "Try to stay awake, but don't move."

"Kyo…" Rose said. "Who is…Akito? Why did he do this?''

Kyo's eyes widened. He looked down, ashamed. "This…This is my fault."

"No!" Rose exclaimed suddenly, sitting up partially. The sitting up caused the wound to open more, and she cried out.

Kyo gently pushed her back down. "Don't do that again."

"Kyo…I get the feeling that Akito, for whatever reason, wants you to blame yourself," Rose said softly.

"I have to," Kyo said. "I can't blame Akito. None of the Zodiac can."

"Why?"

"It's part of the curse."

"Part of…" Rose's eyes suddenly felt very heavy. And her lips refused to move. Her eyes closed.

"Okay…you can sleep now…but don't leave me, okay?" Kyo said softly.

"Okay…" Rose muttered.


End file.
